After nearly two years without a Valley restaurant, celebrity chef and Chopped judge Scott Conant is back in the local culinary scene with the opening of the Italian concept, Roman God of Fire.
While living and working in NYC for years, where he garnered a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2003 for L’Impero in NYC (he left in 2007), the chef is no stranger to Arizona. Since 2016 he has owned a home in the area, and has opened plenty of restaurants in town too. He was part of the now-closed Mora Italian and Scottsdale’s The Americano, which he left in 2024.
But now, Conant is back with Roman God of Fire, which opened in Tempe back in August. The 8,000-square-foot restaurant feels grand, and comes complete with statues, arches, and other cathedral-like details located throughout the sprawling space. In a way, it’s as if Rome has landed in Arizona…